Ben Ward

Tēna koutou katoa.

Ko Taranaki te maunga.

Ko Te Herekawe me Te Waiwhakaiho ngā awa.

Ko Tokomaru te waka.

Ko Te Atiawa te iwi.

Ko Ngāti Te Whiti te hapū.

Kei Waihōpai ahau e noho ana.

Ko Ward taku whānau.

Ko Ben ahau.

No reira, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa.

Ben was born in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) but has lived and worked all across Aotearoa. He is a descendant of Ngāti Te Whiti in Taranaki. Currently based in Waihōpai (Invercargill), Ben is a teacher and has a deep passion for Te Ao Māori and Ngā Toi Māori. As an artist, his main focus is whakairo rakau (wood carving) but he also works with pounamu, bone, and stone. Ben’s pieces create a narrative for the viewer, allowing them to delve into the design and flow of the piece.

“Toi tu te kupu, toi tu te Mana, toi tu te whenua.”

Hold fast to our culture, because without our language (Kupu),our spirit (Mana), and our land (Whenua) the essence of being Māori will no longer exist, but be a skeleton that doesn't give justice to the full body of

Māoridom (Māoritanga).